Sex, Drugs and the New Jon Peters Complaint

Tue Dec 02, 2008 @ 10:33PM PST

By Eriq Gardner

A fight has broken out between producers involved in a planned "Superman" film.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, "Superman: Man of Steel" co-producer Brian Quintana is accusing co-producer Jon Peters of a litany of misbehavior, from failing to make good on promised payments to an extraordinary request to help cover up the statutory rape of Peters' daughter.

The complaint can almost be broken into two sections.

The first concerns the money that Quintana says Peters and his companies owe him. Quintana claims he's due $50,000 in unpaid wages, $100,000 in bonus money for helping Peters get a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame," $20,500 as a marketing bonus for helping Peters sell his home, $60,000 as an automobile allowance, $150,000 for co-producing the Superman film, $150,000 for co-producing another Peters film called "Africa," and more money due from another project, a book deal, and outstanding vacation pay.

Obviously, Quintana didn't get his money, and the latter half of the complaint spills the sordid details of their relationship. Quintana accuses Peters of sexual harassment and making outrageous demands of his services. These demands include perjury, the forgery of signatures, the procurement of illegal drugs, tax and other accounting fraud, and the assistance and cover-up of some extreme sexual behavior. Click to read the complaint itself for all the specifics.

Peters produced hits including "Flashdance," "The Color Purple," and "Batman." He's said to have inspired the character portrayed by Warren Beatty in "Shampoo." And he's been sued before for sexual harassment.

A fight has broken out between producers involved in a planned "Superman" film.

In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, "Superman: Man of Steel" co-producer Brian Quintana is accusing co-producer Jon Peters of a litany of misbehavior, from failing to make good on promised payments to an extraordinary request to help cover up the statutory rape of Peters' daughter.

The complaint can almost be broken into two sections.

The first concerns the money that Quintana says Peters and his companies owe him. Quintana claims he's due $50,000 in unpaid wages, $100,000 in bonus money for helping Peters get a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame," $20,500 as a marketing bonus for helping Peters sell his home, $60,000 as an automobile allowance, $150,000 for co-producing the Superman film, $150,000 for co-producing another Peters film called "Africa," and more money due from another project, a book deal, and outstanding vacation pay.

Obviously, Quintana didn't get his money, and the latter half of the complaint spills the sordid details of their relationship. Quintana accuses Peters of sexual harassment and making outrageous demands of his services. These demands include perjury, the forgery of signatures, the procurement of illegal drugs, tax and other accounting fraud, and the assistance and cover-up of some extreme sexual behavior. Click to read the complaint itself for all the specifics.

Peters produced hits including "Flashdance," "The Color Purple," and "Batman." He's said to have inspired the character portrayed by Warren Beatty in "Shampoo." And he's been sued before for sexual harassment.

The Hollywood Reporter, Esq. blog focuses on how the entertainment and media industries are impacted and influenced by the law. It is edited by Matthew Belloni with contributions from veteran legal reporter Eriq Gardner and others. Before joining The Hollywood Reporter, Belloni was a lawyer at an entertainment litigation firm in Los Angeles. He writes a column for THR devoted to entertainment law. Gardner is a New York-based writer and legal journalist. Send tips or comments to Matthew.Belloni@thr.com

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